Alice 19th The Book pt 1
by Rikkumorningstar
Summary: If you've ever wondered what this story would be like if it were a book then wonder no longer 'cause it is finally here ! ! And now, without further ado....Enjoy ! ! It may seem like a simple task but it's a lot harder than you might think hope you like
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda i own nothing blah blah blah all characters and most script belong to Yuu Watase

**ALICE THE 19****TH**

A young teenage girl stands in her room holding a phone and a picture. She has short brown hair and bright blue eyes. Her name is Alice Seno.

Alice held her phone and read the text message on the screen.

"Question… Is there someone you like?"

She tightened her hold on the phone and said, "Yes …" She held up a picture of a handsome young man. She looked at it and frowned. "But… I'll _never_ have the courage to tell him how I feel."

**LOTUS MASTER**

CHAPTER 1

MASTER OF THE SACRED WORDS

The sun slid up past the horizon, sending the shadows back into the ground.

Alice was sitting in a chair, resting her head on her desk, phone still in hand. Her eyes slowly opened as she lifted her head. She was still wearing her pajamas.

"…MM…" _Huh_? She quickly sat up. "Huh? It's morning? What time is it?" She quickly turned her head to looked at the clock on her phone.

_7:15_am.

She sweatdropped and did a jaw-drop and wide-eyed shock.

She ran through the house to her sister's room, knocking things over and falling down along the way.

**Clatter! Wham!**

"SIS!! WAKE UP!!"

She finally made it to her sister, Mayura's room all swirly-eyed and with a Band-Aid on her forehead. She rushed over to the bed and started to shake the sleeping girl.

"Wake up!! It's after 7:00!" She swore under her breath when her sister didn't respond. "Your Archery Club practice starts in half an hour!"

That seemed to work, since Mayura snapped up and squealed in shock.

"Aaaagggh!! It's after 7:00?!"

Downstairs, their parents were having a quiet breakfast, but it really didn't last. Mayura and Alice were being loud enough to be heard from _outside_ the house.

"Alice, you dummy!" screamed Mayura, running out of her room toward the stairs. "Didn't I tell you to wake me up at 6:30?!"

Alice screamed after her, trying to keep up.

"I-I had homework and I-"

"Ahhhhh!" said Mayura, looking slyly at her sister. "You stayed up all night doing e-mail again, didn't you?!" She ran down the stairs and squealed, "Mom! You'd better watch Alice! She's fallen victim to the plague of our time—cell-phone abuse!" She ran through the kitchen as her mother turned around.

"Mayura, what are you wearing?!" asked her mother.

"It's okay," said Mayura, running past her to the bathroom. "I'm gonna shower and change! No breakfast for me, today!" She ran into the bathroom and shut the door.

Alice glared at the bathroom door, clenching her fists. _Hmph! If you're going to get mad at me, then why not wake up by yourself for once?!_ She thought, angrily.

"Mayura has so much energy." Said her mother, bringing a hand to her face and shaking her head. "Seems like she hasn't a care in the world."

_That's for damn sure,_ thought Alice, still glaring at the bathroom door.

"Mmm…uh-huh…" said her father sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper.

Alice snapped out of her angry trance and looked at her father.

"Oh, uh…dad?" She turned and faced the table, clasping her hands behind her. "Remember what we talked about? Have you made a decision?"

Her father put down his coffee and looked up from his paper at her.

"About what…?"

"Remember?" said her mother. "Alice wanted a pet."

"Oh, that," said her father looking back down at his paper. "Out of the question. Your sister's allergic to animals."

"But…" said Alice, frowning with big eyes and tears.

Mayura could be seen in the background running around in circles like a mad woman, screaming, "I'm late! I'm late!" She then rushed past them and out the door, carrying her large bow. "I'M OFF!! SEE YA!! BYE!"

"Have fun, dear." Said her mother, smiling after her.

Alice sweatdropped and stared after her sister in wide-eyed shock.

_She did her make up?! __Even though she's so late_… "Did you see that, Mom?"

"You'd better get dressed, too, Alice." Said her mother, setting a cup of juice and a plate filled with eggs, sausage, zucchini, and rice noodles on the table. "And eat some breakfast."

Alice stopped at the crosswalk and flipped open her cell-phone. She was wearing a school uniform identical to her sister's. She began punching words into the phone.

"_My family spoils my big sister rotten."_

Send.

In seconds, a new message appeared on the screen.

"_People think the youngest always gets her way. That's crap."_

"Ain't that the truth," said Alice, punching in another message.

"_I just saw the cutest rabbit in the pet shop, yesterday. But we mustn't risk making Mayura faint."_

Send.

The 'walk' sign switched to the 'do-not-walk' sign. Alice looked up and shut her phone, noticing a crowd around her. They were whispering amongst themselves about something in the street. She pushed through the crowd and saw what was causing the commotion.

"A bunny…?!"

A white bunny was sitting in the middle of the intersection, oblivious to the world around it.

_It's so cute!!_ Thought Alice, clasping her hands and smiling brightly.

The rabbit suddenly turned its head and looked at her with its pink eyes.

_Hey! _Thought Alice, happily. _It's looking at me_!

Suddenly she heard dozens of voices speak out all at once.

"_Oh, Dear."_

"_Animals are so stupid."_

"_It's gonna get run over, yuck. And I just ate breakfast."_

"_I could get killed if I try to save it."_

"_It's only vermin."_

_"It's sad, but…"_

"_Where's its owner, anyway?"_

"_It's inconveniencing everybody."_

"_Somebody should help it."_

"_Just ignore it."_

"_Ignore it."_

"_It had no business hopping out there in the first place."_

"_Pretend you didn't see it. Don't look at it."_

Alice brought her hands to her face and widened her eyes in shock and fear for the animal.

_Where are all these voices coming from?!_

A car came bearing down the street toward it.

"_It's in the way."_

"_Ignore it."_

The driver swerved out of the way just in time.

"_IGNORE IT."_

Alice ran from the curb and into the street.

_I can't!_

A large triangular shaped symbol appeared behind her as she rushed over to the rabbit. The symbol for courage. But nobody seemed to notice it.

_I can't… I just can't ignore it._

As she neared the rabbit a bright light began pulsating from the center of the intersection, blinding the drivers and pedestrians.

She shot out her arms and pulled the rabbit to her.

"Come…here!" she screamed, hugging it tight.

A car came bearing down the street toward her. But this time it was going too fast to be able to swerve out of the way.

She turned to look at it. There was fear etched in her gaze.

Next thing she knew there were strong arms quickly wrapped around her and she was quickly rolling out of the way.

The pedestrians gasped and whispered in a commotion of anger as the driver sped off without even stopping to check if she was okay.

_Something smells…sweet_… thought Alice, slowly opening her eyes.

The person on top of her slowly raised his head and released her.

"Phew," he said, smiling, "That was a close call."

Alice's jaw dropped and she started to sweat nervously.

"Kyō Wakamiya?!" she squealed.

He looked down at her as concern set into his features.

"You're not hurt, are you?" he asked, leaning slightly forward.

She quickly backed up, shaking her head. She staid on her knees as Kyō gathered up his arrows and placed them back in his case.

The 'do-not-walk' changed to 'walk' and the crowd began to thin but they continued to talk.

"What was that flash of light?"

"That driver should get a ticket."

"You kids okay?"

Kyō stood and said, "Can you stand Alice?"

Alice's heart began to beat faster.

"Y-yes," she replied, nervously.

_This can't be happening_! Thought Alice.

"Thank you, Kyō."

Kyō picked up his bow and they began their walk to the school. Alice held the bunny close in her arms as she walked along side Kyō.

"You're a lucky little bunny, aren't you? "

Kyō watched her for a moment before he spoke; he sounded concerned, "When I saw you dart out into the traffic, I thought you were history. What'll you do with the rabbit?"

Alice beams at him, "I'd like to keep it until I can find its owner."

To self: _My first real conversation with Kyō…_!!

"Hmm," said Kyō. "A crowd of people and you were the only one that tried to save the rabbit."

_Huh_…?

"When I heard the terrible things those people were saying," said Alice, frowning. "I knew it was up to me to save the poor thing."

Kyō stopped and looked back at her.

"At the traffic light?" he asked. He sounded confused. "Nobody said a word."

"Really?" said Alice, sounding shocked.

_That's really weird_, she thought, looking ahead at nothing in particular. _I heard them so clearly_...

Suddenly the rabbit chomped down on her bottom lip.

CHOMP

"AAAGGGHHH!!! OW!!" Her eyes got really big and she started to cry, but stopped crying almost immediately.

"Ouch," she whined. "I guess you must be hungry?!"

She looked to her right and saw a store that sold vegetables.

"Excuse me." she said to the young lady at the entrance. "Four carrots, please."

The lady smiled and nodded, then went to the back of her store to get the carrots.

Alice looked behind her and was shocked to see that Kyō was still standing there, waiting for her.

"You can go on to school without me." Alice said sweetly.

"That's okay, I'm in no hurry." He replied.

Alice's lips spread into a wide grin.

To self: HOORAY!! …Hey…?!

"Kyō, don't you have archery practice this morning?"

"No, not today."

"AAGH!" squealed Alice. "Mayura! That goof got her days mixed up!" She quickly went from shocked to laughing. "She must be all alone at school."

Mayura was shown in the school hall looking very small and alone and very clueless.

Hmph!

"That's just like her," said Kyō, smiling.

Alice glanced at him, feeling drawn to his gentle smile.

_Kyō…_?

The store lady was back with a bag of carrots.

"Here you are, thanks."

Without warning, the rabbit gabbed one of the carrots and ran off, startling both the lady and Alice.

DINE and DASH!!

Alice, forgetting about the carrots and about paying for the one the rabbit had taken, dashed off and chased after it.

"Bunny?! W-wait!!"

And before Kyō or the store lady could stop her, she was already halfway down the next block, flailing her arms like a mad man.

"Come back!"

They both sweatdropped and stared; both embarrassed, but for different reasons.

Kyō started to casually walk away.

"Uh, I'll just be…"

But the store lady forcefully grabbed his shoulder and demanded money.

"MY MONEY!!" she said forcefully.

Some time later after Kyō caught up with Alice…

They are walking side-by-side down the sidewalk. And yes, Kyō is carrying the bag of carrots that he incidentally had to buy.

He looks over at Alice and sees a sadness in her eyes. It bothers him.

"Alice?"

"It's gone. …the little bunny…"

Kyō's eyes widened in concern.

Alice opened her eyes and stopped.

?

There was a beautiful bracelet on the ground about a foot's length in front of her. She bent down and picked it up and examined it closely.

"A…bracelet?" _It's very beautiful_.

She smiled as she placed it around her wrist.

"This red gem looks just like a rabbit's eye." She said, cheerfully.

_With this_, she thought, _I have a feeling that I might see that bunny again someday_. She smiled and blushed slightly. _Thanks to the bunny, I got to hang out with Kyō Wakamiya. Don't get discouraged, Alice_.

As she entered the school grounds she started to reminisce about when she had first met Kyō.

'_Upper-classman Kyō Wakamiya—I first laid eyes on him one month ago. I'd just started school, and I went to see my sister's archery club.'_

_Her eyes widened when she spotted him._

He's so…beautiful…

'_After that, I went to watch the archery club often… Now everyone knows me as Mayura Seno's little sister… But I can't even join the club. I don't have the nerve to…_

Her thoughts were interrupted when a birdie hit her in the back of the head.

"Ow!" she exclaimed.

She turned around to see five girls holding rackets laughing at her.

"Oops…" said a girl named Oishi. "Sorry, Alice."

"Would you throw it back?" said headband.

Alice sweatdropped and scowled.

"Oishi…" she said and picked up the birdie, smiling sweetly. _I can't stand that Oishi girl. She's such a show-off…and a snob_. "Here it comes." She added and threw it back.

"Thanks." Said Oishi, smirking not-so-nicely.

Alice turned and walked away. But, unfortunately, Oishi was a bitch and hit her in the back of the head with another birdie.

SMACK

"Ow." Said Alice.

She turned around, only to find them laughing at her again. She sweatdropped.

"Oh!" said Oishi. "Did we hit you again? SOR-RY!"

"We're such awful players." Said short-hair.

Alice just smiled sweetly and picked up the birdie. "No problem." _You think this is so funny don't you, you ROTTEN SNOB_!!! was what she really wanted to say.

Oishi continued to smirk and continued to hit her with birdies. One hit Alice's back, and then her leg, and then her shoulder.

"Uh, maybe we should stop." said short-hair.

"She won't say anything," said Oishi, snidely, clenching her fist and gritting her teeth. "She just smiles like a dork. Anyway, she should suffer for walking to school with Kyō Wakamiya this morning. What nerve! Who does she think she is?!"

"Uh, Oishi?" said Alice sweetly. "I'm getting tired of throwing these back…"

Another birdie was heading straight for her face.

She shut her eyes and could feel something shoot past her face and knock the birdie off course. And then…

THWACK

The birdie had been pinned to the wall by an arrow.

Alice opened her and eyes and noticed that Kyō was the shooter and he looked rather angry.

"Hey!" he said, glaring at the five girls. "Being mean is so unbecoming…"

The girls blushed and slowly backed away.

"Kyō…Wakamiya…"

"Uh-oh…"

Kyō then turned to Alice, smiled and walked over to her.

"Alice!!" exclaimed Mayura, trudging toward them.

"Sis!" said Alice, looking slightly clueless.

"In trouble again?!" said Mayura, scowling.

Alice sweatdropped.

Mayura scowled more severely and glanced at the five obnoxious badminton players.

"They pick on you because you don't stand up for yourself," she said snidely, "Those kind only have claws when they're in a group!"

Oishi clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.

Mayura suddenly lunged forward to attack them and Alice grabbed her arm to restrain her.

_No! Don't make a scene!_ Screamed Alice's mind.

"She's my little sister," screamed Mayura, "So if you pick on her, you'll answer to me! GOT THAT?!"

_I really don't mind_, thought Alice, _Please don't make things worse_.

"Kyō!" exclaimed Mayura, "What happened to your hand?!"

_Huh_? Thought Alice, appearing clueless at first and then she remembered. _Oh yeah… he must have hurt it when…_

"Look!" exclaimed Mayura, gently taking his hand in hers. "It's all red. You must have whacked it on something. You should see the nurse…"

"It's nothing." Replied Kyō calmly.

His hand was badly scratched and was bleeding.

"You hurt it?!" exclaimed Alice. "I hope it wasn't from this morning…?!"

Mayura looked at her suspiciously. "This morning?"

Kyō put a finger to his lips indicating to Alice that he wanted her to stay quiet about it.

He then quickly turned around and walked away, saying, "It's nothing… So, I hear that you're putting in some extra practice these days…"

"GIVE THAT A REST, ALREADY!!" screamed Mayura. She then turned to Alice with a sweet smile and said, "Alice, go home without me, okay?"

_Kyō…_ thought Alice, sadly.

She watched glumly, wanting to cry, as Kyō and her sister walked side by side down the hall. And it didn't help when the other students started to whisper.

"Those two…"

"Mayura and Kyō are a couple. They're inseparable."

"They take all the same classes."

"At last year's school festival, Mayura Seno was crowned 'Miss Myōdō High' even though she was only a freshman."

Alice walks past them, trying not to feel sorry for herself.

"Darn, so Mayura is Wakamiya's girl?" said an upper-classman boy.

"Hey, look. That girl…" said a freshman girl. "Mayura's little sister. What's her name…?

_It's okay_, thought Alice, _I'm used to it. I'm always 'Mayura Seno's little sister'_...

Back at the Seno's residence…

Alice was wearing a light blue dress and long blue socks. She was sitting on her bed with a stuffed rabbit on her lap and she was looking sadly at a picture of Kyō. She then looked at the bracelet around her wrist and smiled.

_But thanks to the bunny, I at least got to talk to Kyō Wakamiya_.

"Hmmm… It's such a pretty stone."

_If only this bracelet could grant wishes_.

Suddenly, Mayura barged into Alice's room, and Alice just barely hid the picture in time. She quickly shoved the picture under her pillow.

"Alice! Guess what…" exclaimed Mayura. She's wearing the goofiest hyper-looking smile.

Alice widened her eyes and sweatdropped. She was mentally kicking herself for almost getting caught.

Mayura calmed down when she took notice of Alice's strange behavior.

"Hey," Mayura said, "Were you doing e-mail on your cell phone again?!"

"N-No"

"Oh, never mind… Look!"

She held out two packages for Alice to look at.

"Which of these do you think would make a better birthday present for Kyō?"

"Birthday? Kyō's?" said Alice, pushing the picture further under her pillow.

"Yeah, it's tomorrow!" replied Mayura, sitting beside her sister on the bed. "But I can't make up my mind."

_I didn't know_. Thought Alice, glumly.

"The wristwatch is nice, but so is this…" said Mayura, seeming slightly desperate. "Which do you think Kyō would like better?"

Alice glanced at her sadly.

"Sis… Do you…like Kyō?"

Mayura's eyes widened and then she nodded and smiled, blushing slightly.

_Sis is so pretty…_ thought Alice, glumly, _She's like a flower in bloom_.

"Well… If it were up to me…I'd choose this one." said Alice, feeling very small and insignificant.

"This one, really?!" exclaimed Mayura. "Okay, this one it is."

Mayura got up, smiled sweetly at Alice, and quickly exited the room.

Alice scrunched her eyes and clenched her sheets.

_I haven't got a chance against Sis_.

Next day at school…

"Alice."

Alice turned around to see who had called her and found Kyō heading down the hall towards her.

She sweatdropped and was afraid she would start to panic.

"Got a minute?" he asked.

They walked side-by-side to a more deserted part of the school halls.

"Is something wrong…?" Alice asked.

To self: heart pounding…

"It's that rabbit from yesterday…" said Kyō, holding his chin between his thumb and his forefinger. "I endeavored to ascertain its whereabouts, but to no avail."

Alice looked at him with a mixed expression of irritation and cluelessness.

"Um, could you say that again with half the syllables?" she said.

_What a vocabulary_.

"I could pass out flyers or use the internet." Replied Kyō. "What do you think?"

_Huh_?!

His eyes turned into straight lines and he suddenly seemed very serious.

"Yesterday, I searched until it got so dark that I had to give up. I don't think it's around here anymore."

"You searched 'till dark?!" squealed Alice, making a face that looked oddly like a chicken. "Wh-Wh-Why…?"

Kyō smiled sweetly at her.

"You looked so crest-fallen when it ran away." He replied. "I realized how much the rabbit must mean to you."

He turned to leave but stopped and looked at her.

"I'll find it for you, so cheer up. See you around."

He then turned, again, to leave.

_Kyō Wakamiya…_

BA-BUMP

BA-BUMP

She glanced at his hand, which was now wrapped in a bandage.

_Why?_

BA-BUMP

_You're so nice to me_.

She clenched her skirt and her bowtie.

BA-BUMP

BA-BUMP

BA-BUMP

_What should I do?_

"KYŌ, WAIT!!"

She was shocked when he stopped and turned to look at her. He waited, watching her in anticipation.

But…she started to panic.

"Ah… Um… I…"

_What should I do?_

_I want to tell him._

"Huh?" said Kyō, waiting still…patiently.

_I LOVE YOU!_

"K-Kyō…"

_I'm in love with you._

The stone on her bracelet began to pulsate a soft and barely visible red light.

_C'mon! Tell him!_

Kyō watched her in greater anticipation as though he knew something important was about to happen.

"I…"

"Kyō!" came Mayura's voice as _she_ came rushing around the corner. "There you are!"

But Kyō hadn't taken his eyes off Alice.

"Oh, hi Alice…" said Mayura, seeing Alice standing there. "What're you doing here?"

Alice started to shrink away, becoming very nervous; if possible, more nervous than a minute ago.

"Um…" she backed away a little more. "I was…" She stopped and glanced up, smiling sweetly at Kyō, holding back her tears. "I wanted to wish Kyō a happy birthday."

"Thanks…" said Kyō, looking down, sounding oddly disappointed.

She then bowed to them both.

"I'll be going now."

She quickly slipped past her sister and said, "Good luck, Sis…"

_Liar_.

Mayura turned to Kyō and held up a wrapped gift to him.

Alice slowed down to an almost complete stop.

"Kyō…" said Mayura, "Happy seventeenth birthday. Please accept this…"

_I'm such a liar._

"And…" said Mayura, "I hope you accept my feelings for you as well."

Mayura smiled at him and blushed slightly.

"I… I'm in love with you."

Alice could no longer hold back her tears and ran faster and out of the school.

_I'm a coward._

In city…

Alice ran through the city, she couldn't seem to stop her tears.

"_I love you" Just three little words._

_But I didn't have the courage to say them._

_If only I had…_

_a little more courage._

The jewel on her bracelet, once again, began to glow.

She came to a stop in front of the Tokyo Tower. She buried her face in her hands and continued to cry.

_Courage is what I need…_

'_Fool…'_ said a soft, but irritated voice in her head.

She lowered her hands.

'_You already… have it.'_

"Huh?" She quickly looked up and was surprised to see a bright light at the top of the tower.

'_You have all the courage you need.'_

It's the rabbit!

It jumped down and shot toward her in a giant ball of light.

Alice looked at it in fear and brought her hand up protectively.

"KYAAA!"

A cloud of smoke and dust settled around her.

Alice slowly opened one eye and hesitantly lowered her hands. Floating before her was a small smiling girl who had rabbit feet and rabbit ears, pink eyes and reddish/pink hair. She was wearing strange clothes and a strange but pretty necklace was hanging around her neck. She continued to smile sweetly and then said in a voice that sounded older than she looked, "I knew it. I knew that you would come to me."

Alice was shocked that this rabbit girl just spoke…even more so than by the fact that the girl was hovering in the air before her. The girl ignored her shock and said in triumph, "At last…I've found you."

Alice leaned back a little and brought her slightly clenched hands to her mouth.

_WHAT'S HAPPENING?!!!!!_


	2. Chapter 2

_(a/n: I am so so so sorry for the ridiculously long wait for this chapter...Oh the toils of working on way too many fan-fics at one time TTnTT...)_

* * *

CHAPTER 2

MASTER OF THE SACRED WORDS part 2

"At last I've found you," said the hovering rabbit girl.

Alice leaned back a fraction and brought her slightly clenched hands to her mouth.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?!

The girl smiled at her proudly and said, "I was right about you, Alice. I knew I would see you again."

Alice still appeared shocked.

_What is this…? Am I dreaming?!_

The sky above the tower was almost clear except for a few clouds moving slowly overhead. Alice's right hand was over her mouth while her other hand was gripping her right arm. She was deeply confused.

_I must have finally snapped…_

The rabbit girl turned away from her and closed her eyes. She sighed and said, "I've been waiting so long to meet you. I know that you'll be a great Lotus Master."

Alice mentally gasped as she calmed down enough to have thoughts enter her mind.

_Those ears…they're like rabbit ears! And she's talking…_

Her heart started to race.

Bu-bump

Bu-bump

Bu-bump

Bu-bump

She suddenly became frightened and concerned for her own safety.

_Is it human…? Or an animal? It leapt off the top of Tokyo Tower?_

She suddenly started to sweat and appeared sick with fright and confusion. Her hand was clamped tightly over her mouth.

To self: Are they filming a movie? No film crew… She's floating in the air. Could it be…?!

She suddenly imagined being in a graveyard with a creepy dark temple behind her. The words 'A ghost!' were hovering on both sides of her head. An eerie wind whistled past overhead. There were three sweat drops sliding down on her blank face.

The rabbit girl turned back around to face her and said, "My name is Nyozeka." But Alice was already running away at top speed. Nyozeka quickly flew after her. "Wait," she cried out as she started to catch up.

"Kyaaah," screamed Alice, who was still running and flailing her arms as though she'd gone mad. Her eyes were scrunched tightly shut…it was a wonder she could see where she was going at all. "STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY!"

Still running blindly she said loudly and frantically, "I think I've heard this ghost story before! A child falls to her death from Tokyo Tower and comes back to haunt people as a cos-playing ghost!"

Nyozeka was becoming angry.

"There's no ghost story like that," she growled.

Alice ignored her and continued to babble.

"Why don't you go haunt some loser who likes cos-playing little girls," she screamed.

Nyozeka finally lost her patience.

"You FOOL," she screamed, kicking Alice in the butt.

RABBIT KICK

Alice slammed head-first into the cement ground.

Nyozeka regained her composure and put her hands together. But since her sleeves were so long you couldn't see her hands.

She gave a sob-like sigh and said, "All this because of the form I've taken? Fine. How 'bout this form then…" Tiny dazzling lights started to gather around her. A breeze wisped through her hair, revealing that she had human ears, too.

Then suddenly, poof she was the rabbit again. The necklace was still hanging loosely around her neck.

"You remember me, don't you?" said the rabbit.

"No," replied Alice in a trembling voice. But of course she wouldn't! She had her hands over her eyes. So, she didn't realize that Nyozeka was now the rabbit she had saved.

"Look at ME," shouted the rabbit angrily.

Alice finally obeyed and turned her head to look. There were tears in her eyes. Upon seeing the rabbit she had a flashback of when she had saved the white pink-eyed rabbit. She brought a hand to her mouth in shock and said quietly, "It can't be…!" She then pointed at Nyozeka with an irritated but nervous look in her eyes and said, "You're that carrot-snatching bunny?"

Poof

In a puff of smoke Nyozeka returned to her human form. She sweatdropped and said, a little embarrassed, "Yes! Except I wish you would have put it another way." She smiled as the sky exploded with color from the sun setting. She looked up and said, "You showed great courage when you rescued me," she winked, "Because of that, I left that bracelet for you."

Alice looked at the bracelet around her right wrist with wide eyes.

_This_…?

The red stone on the bracelet was glowing weakly and there was an upside down triangular symbol etched on the stone.

Nyozeka smiled sweetly and said, "The symbol inscribed on the stone is 'Rangu'." Her smile brightened. "It means 'Courage'. It is also the 19th 'Lotus'… It holds great importance…so please take good care of it."

Alice stood and started to walk away.

"I'm going home to bed," she said, quietly. A large sweatdrop slid down the back of her head.

"You can't run from reality forever," said Nyozeka.

Alice wasn't listening…she continued walking down the street.

_Rabbits can't change form or talk. It's impossible._

"I must be hallucinating," said Alice to herself. "The shock of loosing Kyō to Mayura must have been too much for me."

Her eyes widened as she remembered what happened at the end of the school day.

_I've… Lost him…_

Mayura to Kyō: I love you…

_But if I go home, sis will be there…_

A tear formed in her eye.

_I couldn't say those same words… But sis could._

Alice scrunched her eyes in frustration as the forming tear finally fell to the ground.

_I guess I never had a chance._

She pictured Kyō's smiling face.

_Kyō must be very happy with Mayura._

More tears slid from her closed eyes. She brought a hand up to wipe them away.

"I don't want to go home…" she said, quietly to herself. She sobbed quietly and said, "Seeing sis will just be painful… And I can't bear to see Kyō at school anymore."

"Okay. You can call me "Bunny" if you like," said Nyozeka, badly startling her.

"What are you talking about," shouted Alice in response.

Nyozeka smiled and said, "Do I not speak the truth? Are you going to run away again?"

Alice glared at her in irritation.

HMPH

Nyozeka ignored this and continued to smile.

"Don't worry, I can stay in this graveyard as long as it takes to solve your love problems," she said sweetly.

This deeply angered Alice who then turned and ran away.

_That's enough! How dare you read my mind like this!_

She ended up at the front gate to her house. She was still upset but now felt a little nervous. She walked hesitantly up to the gate.

"I somehow ended up coming home," she said to herself.

The gate door creaked slightly when she opened it.

Creak

_What was that creature? Was she real?_

An image of the small rabbit girl flashed in her mind.

_But, I did feel like something called me to that place…_

An image of the Tokyo Tower flashed in her mind. She frowned nervously as she wandered up to the front door.

"I better try to forget the whole thing. It's too weird," she whispered to herself.

"You mustn't forget, and I'm not weird," said Nyozeka, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, badly startling Alice once again.

"You Again?!" shouted Alice, a sweatdrop sliding down the side of her face. She grabbed the girl and said loudly, "What are you doing here?!"

The door opened and her mother looked at her, startled.

"Alice?!" she said in slight irritation. "Where have you been?! It's so late…"

Alice was suddenly nervous, worried that her mom would freak at the sight of the rabbit girl.

"What're you doing with that rabbit," asked her mother, slight confusion in her voice.

Alice looked down in shock at the white rabbit now in her hands.

"Huh?"

A plate of food and bowl of rice was on the table covered by a red cloth. The cloth had yellow leaves printed on it.

"You found it?!" said her mother, surprised.

Alice rose to her feet; rabbit still in her arms and said, "Y-yes. That's why I'm late."

Her mother covered her face with her hands, looking as though she were close to tears.

"Oh, dear. And your father's away on business, too…" she said. She regained her composure and added, "We better see what Mayura thinks."

Alice frowned at this. She sighed and her cheeks slightly heated up from irritation.

To self: So it's all up to sis, as usual…

She looked down at the bunny. A sweatdrop slid down the back of her head.

_But this…creature… It's just pretending to be an ordinary rabbit…_

Suddenly, the bathroom door burst open and Mayura, with only a towel wrapped around her, ran out toward Alice.

"Alice! You're finally home," she said happily.

Alice was shocked but suddenly remembered the rabbit in her arms. "Mayura, wait! Don't come near me!" was what she wanted to say, but it was too late. Mayura had already wrapped her arms around her.

"I've been waiting for you," said Mayura, not taking notice of the rabbit now touching her skin. "Just listen to this…"

Alice finally found her voice and shouted, "Sis, wait a sec…!"

Mayura looked down and spotted the rabbit. Her allergic reaction instantly spread up her left arm in the form of hives. She fainted and dropped to the floor.

"Oh no! Mayura!" shouted her mom.

"SIS?!" shouted Alice, helping her mom carry Mayura to her bed.

"Sis, I'm so sorry…" said Alice, rocking on the floor beside her sister's bed.

Mayura was lying under her covers. She looked absolutely miserable…but was it really because of her reaction to the animal? She moaned uncomfortably.

"Ungh…"

Alice frowned and said, "I'll give the rabbit away."

"No, keep it," said Mayura, looking up in an attempt to smile reassuringly.

"Huh?" said Alice in shock.

Mayura smiled warmly and said, "You have wanted a pet for such a long time…and it's my fault you've never been able to have one."

Alice looked down, Mayura, looked back up, "But…"

Mayura shook her head and said, "It's okay. I even thought about it." She coughed a little and quickly added, "If I talk with dad, he will let you keep it…Believe in me."

Alice stopped rocking and smiled back and said, "Okay."

But then she suddenly remembered that she really didn't think that keeping this rabbit would be such a great idea.

_**Duh**_!

_Oh cool… But that bunny isn't even normal_… "_isn't that great_?" she thought with a sick-to-stomach expression. But her sister didn't notice it since she had closed her eyes.

"Anyways, Alice, listen to this," said Mayura, somewhat bringing Alice back to this reality. "I told Kyō that I love him."

Well, that did it. Alice's attention was officially had, not to mention, her pass-for-mended heart was re-shattered as she was painfully reminded of the fact that she had lost Kyō – probably forever.

Ba-bump!

She clenched her fists and said as cheerfully as she could, "Uh…I see…that's great."

Ba-bump!

Ba-bump!

Failing to notice her sister's obvious failure to remain cheerful, Mayura continued, "And in response to my confession he said…"

_This is it_, thought Alice, becoming more depressed, _I've really lost my chance of ever being with him_…

Ba-bump!

"Can I have until tomorrow to think it over," said Mayura in her best Kyō-voice.

Alice's eyes shot wide open and she just about choked on a sob she had been holding in.

_WHAT_?! her mind screamed.

"Huh?! Are you serious?!" Alice screeched, almost failing to hide her excitement.

"Yeah! Can you believe it?!" Mayura replied, just as screechy. She sighed and ran her left hand through her hair.

"He turned down a birthday gift from another girl," she continued in a rush, "So I assumed he did that for me…"

Alice covered her mouth, hoping to hide her relief.

_Maybe he doesn't love her!_ she thought as the clouds broke apart to let the sun shine on her world once again.

"I wonder what happened," Mayura sobbed softly, "I was so sure that he…"

_Huh?_ Thought Alice, startled by the deep sadness in her sister's voice.

She looked down at her and when she saw the tears forming in Mayura's eyes, she couldn't help but feel ridiculously awful for being relieved.

_Oh no_… she thought and was suddenly determined to see Mayura happy again.

"It…" she hesitated, realizing that by doing this, she would truly be losing her chance with Kyō, but she forced that painful fact from her mind and continued in a rush, "It'll be fine! Kyō is no playboy. He probably just doesn't want to jump into anything!"

The tears vanished from her sister's eyes and a less defeated expression took their place.

"Maybe…" she said, not sounding too sure, "He is a decent guy. And that's a good thing."

Alice stood up, smiling and slowly backed away toward the door.

"Sure," she said, cheerfully, "Go get him, Sis!"

She stepped out the door and closed it behind her. She quickly walked the short distance to her own room. She entered, closed the door and leaned against it in major SELF-LOATHING, only then letting her tears silently fall to the floor.

However, her moment of despair was short lived.

"FOOL." said an irritating female voice.

Alice's head shot up in anger and saw the rabbit girl sitting on the floor next to a bowl of greens and munching on a carrot. This only angered her further.

"What do you want, Phantom Rabbit?!" Alice barked.

"The name's Nyozeka. And I heard everything," said the rabbit girl, continuing to munch away.

"You shouldn't eavesdrop," Alice groaned as she flopped down on her bed and buried her face in her pillow.

Nyozeka hovered above the bed and said, "This is fate, don't you see?" Alice was quickly becoming angry, but Nyozeka ignored this and continued, "You've been given a second chance!"

"But," said Alice, still muffled by the pillow, "I hate to see Sis looking so sad…" She turned her face slightly to the right and said in a sad tone, "She's always so outgoing and confident. Everyone looks up to her…" She choked back a sob of guilt and said, "But when I see her looking so anxious…"

She reached back behind her pillow and pulled her picture of Kyō out from under it. Her thoughts became those of guilt. She held the small photo against her pillow and stared at it in sadness.

_I feel guilty because I'm glad Kyō put her on hold. I feel even worse than before… But if… If Sis gets rejected, do __**I**__ have a chance? I wish I knew what he feels right now._

Nyozeka was becoming fed up with Alice's whoa-is-me attitude. She opened the patio door and said, "Okay, Alice. I'm going to go see Kyō."

"Okay…bye…" was Alice's reply. She continued to stare at her Kyō-photo in a somewhat daze.

Nyozeka glanced back in slight annoyance and said, "You know, for courage to count, you have to take action," and then turned to leave.

For some reason this got Alice's attention. She shot up with ridiculously wide eyes and screeched. "You're going WHERE?!"

Bunny Girl flew out the open doorway and said, "You've already got 'Rangu' but you won't use it."

"Wait," shouted Alice, but Nyozeka was already out of sight. "WAIT!" she screamed again.

She threw on her shoes and quickly ran out of the house ignoring the "Where are you goings?" from her mom as she rushed down the stairs and out the door. In a matter of minutes she was running down the city sidewalks.

_What is she up to_, she thought worriedly.

A goofy looking man wobbled out of a bar and said, "Hey, babe, wanna sing some karaoke?

She gave him her angry chicken face screaming, "BACK OFF!"

Heaving, she leaned up against the wall of a nearby building as the sudden surge of what she had thought was courage, quickly disappeared, leaving her feel, once again, depressed and hopeless.

She's gone, she thought, wiping the tears forming in her eyes, _What should I do? I don't know my way around this part of town._

She dropped down into a crouching position and covered her eyes with the back of her hand as she fought back the threatening tears.

_What am I doing?_ she thought, irritated with herself. _This is foolish._

"I'll forget that rabbit and go home," she said quietly to herself. Though, she didn't really want to… So, she tried to think of reasons for why she should.

_Well, Alice, she thought, there's the fact that you don't know where Kyō lives. And even if you did see him, it's not like you could tell him how you feel._

Then she started thinking of how especially nice he's been being to her. How he's been helping her with finding the rabbit – "I'll find that rabbit for you. So cheer up." – even though he knows Mayura is allergic. How he risked his life to save her from being run down by that crazy driver…and then didn't want Mayura to know about it, as though he wanted it to be their personal little secret.

_Well, Nyozeka did say that for courage to count, I'd have to take action_, she thought looking at her bracelet. _Should I really give up and do nothing? Should I forget about Kyō?_

She brought her wrist to her forehead as though trying to draw courage from the bracelet once more.

_NO! I've got to see him… Just one more time!_

The red jewel on the bracelet began to glow. She saw Kyō's face in her mind's eye. She quickly stood up, finalizing her decision.

_I'll go… …right up to him…_

Rangu, the symbol for courage, appeared and shined brightly in her bracelet's jewel. Suddenly a pathway, directing her where to go, opened up in her mind's eye.

_I see the way!_ she thought excitedly, her eyes widening. And then, without warning, her legs rushed her forward in the direction she had seen in her mind. _My feet are moving on their own_, she thought slightly amazed. _But I've never been in this area before._

A few more turns and blocks later, she slammed into someone's back. She gasped and rubbed her nose.

"Sorry," she said, bowing in apology.

But as the person turned around, she gasped again and then blushed from the embarrassment of feeling so happy.

"Kyō…!"

"Alice…?"

_Oh my God_! she screeched in her mind, _It's really him! I really found him_!

Kyō smiled at her and said politely, "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I-uh…" Alice said, still blushing.

Kyō smiled warmly, "Well, your timing is perfect, whatever your reason." His smile brightened with excitement. "See, I found that rabbit you were looking for!"

She tried to hide her slight annoyance with the rabbit as she involuntarily shrieked.

"AHHH! That darn ghost rabbit!"

Instantly recovering her composure, she smiled nervously as Kyō carefully placed the sneaky rabbit in her arms, "Oh, uh... ...tha-thank you very much!"

She was so touched by this unexpected kind gesture she felt herself teetering on the verge of tears.

To self: Wow! He was still looking for it...

Kyō chuckled, gazing at her with kind eyes, "I'm glad I could find it for you. Imagine it being right here in my neighborhood!" Then he said something that caused her heart to flutter, "Well since you're here, why don't you come in for a minute."

Huh, Alice blinked, noticing they were standing outside some kind of cafe that sold cakes and other sweets.

Kyō casually walked through the front door as Alice nervously followed. "I'm home," he called out.

"Welcome back, Kyō," said a gentle looking woman. The man next to her turned toward them and said, "You're late," teasingly to Kyō.

Alice's heart began to race and she could feel her cheeks stupidly heat up.

Kyō set his archery equipment against the main table, "Alice, this way."

Alice, still holding the rabbit, joined him at the table and took her seat next to Kyō.

The kind woman then placed two cups of tea and a delicious looking slice of cake on the table before her, "Have some cake."

Alice felt flustered, "Oh...but I have no money..."

The young woman placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry... You're our guest!" She then smiled at Kyō before turning back to Alice, "Kyō baked that cake himself!"

Needless too say, Alice found this to be very impressive, "WHAT?!"

Unfortunately, Kyō had been taking a sip of his tea just as his Aunt had said this bit of embarrassing news. So, mid sip his tea sprayed across the table.

He wiped his face and turned on his Aunt, "Did you have to tell her that?" A sweatdrop slid down the side of his face.

His Aunt sighed and crossed her arms, "I know it embarrasses you, but baking is a fine and manly hobby!"

"But, I don't want it to get around that I spend my time doing this..." Kyō grumbled.

Alice giggled and then put a chunk of the cake in her mouth. There was a sudden explosion of flavor in her mouth; she couldn't believe how good it was, "It's delicious!"

Now he was really embarrassed. Kyō couldn't believe someone was complementing a cake he made, "...y-you think so?"

Alice nodded, taking another bite, "Aha! That's why you always smell so sweet!"

Kyō just about jumped out of his skin. He closed his eyes, still blushing, "Darn," and ran his fingers through his hair, "I shower every morning... But, you can still tell?"

Alice smiled, taking another bite, enjoying every second in his presence.

_This is the first time I've seen him like this...all flustered and embarrassed..._

"Um...Alice was it...?"

It took her a moment to realize she was being spoken to.

Kyō's Aunt smiled and then bluntly asked, "Has he kissed you yet?!"

You would think there had been an explosion from the way they both reacted to that simple question... Forks and tea flying... Kyō falling off his chair.

Alice put both her hands up, blushing profusely, "NO, I'm uh..."

Kyō lifted himself off the floor and sat back down, "She's just a friend... Why is she always embarrassing me..."

Never had Alice ever felt such deep sadness...she felt as though her heart might actually break in two. _"...just a friend..."_

Nyozeka glanced up at her wishing she could encourage her, Tell him, Alice!

In the background, Kyō and his Aunt were still squabbling.

"Oh, is that so. Then you aren't doing the nasty?"

"What?! Of course not! Will you please leave?"

Kyō's Aunt left humming to herself.

He turned back to Alice, still a bit annoyed, "I'm sorry..."

But Alice was looking down at her hands, "What...if..." her heart was racing, "If I were Sis...would you have said, 'She's my girl'?"

Kyō's eyes widened, not having expected such a bold question.

Alice's heart raced faster, _There, I said it_!

There was a dense silence before Kyō finally spoke, "Alice... Maybe...It might turn out that way."

Her heart panged as the realization that she truly missed her chance blew the door to reality wide open. She clenched trembling hands into Nyozeka's fir.

The ticking of the clock seemed far to loud.

"To tell you the truth..." Kyō rested his chin on his uninjured hand, "I really haven't decided yet. It's just hard to get used to the idea. The transition from friends to something more is difficult..."

Alice wanted to leave but she didn't want to let go of the peaceful joy she had felt just moments before. "Does it bother you because you love my sister?"

Nyozeka mentally cheered her on, _Go Alice Go_!

Kyō sighed and smiled sweetly, "You really get to the point, don't you, Alice?"

"It's just because...I care."

The white rabbit squeaked proudly, _Good_!

If Alice had been watching him she would have seen the sudden change in Kyō's expression and probably would have chosen her next words more carefully. "I mean...I care about my sister! After all, it took a lot of courage for her to tell you how she feels about you..."

Nyozeka sighed inwardly.

Alice started to sweat from the inner struggle over crying or not crying. She was at her wits end and before she could stop herself she found herself shouting, "Hurry and make up your mind!"

_FOOL_! thought Alice and the rabbit in unison.

Another dense silence enveloped them making the clocks tic-tocks much too loud. And just when she thought she might burst into tears...the jingle of her cell phone tore through the quiet, causing her heart to leap into her throat. Alice glanced at the screen and suddenly felt sick, "Oh no, it's Sis," she whispered frantically.

Her sister's voice pounded through the small phone speaker, "Alice, it's late! Where are you?! Everyone's worried about you!"

"Um...well..."

Kyō reached out to her, "Can I have a word with her?"

As she handed over the phone she could still hear Mayura's irritated voice, "Alice, are you listening to me?!"

"Hello? Mayura? It's me, Kyō."

Mayura gasped, totally not expecting this, "Kyō?" She didn't know why she suddenly felt jealous, she knew there was no way Alice would ever try to sabotage her chance with him, but, "Why...are you with Alice?"

"Well... Mayura, I told you I'd give you my answer tomorrow... But I've just made up my mind." He paused so long that you could practically hear the thudding of both Alice's and Mayura's hearts and then, "I will go out with you."

Alice felt as though her heart had stopped and Nyozeka laid her head down in shame.

Kyō snapped the phone shut and handed it back to Alice, oblivious to what had really transpired, "Thanks Alice... You helped me make up my mind." He cocked his head to one side and smiled, "The only way to know if it's right is if you try it."

Alice's lips quirked into a nervous smile of her own, _What have I done?!_

To self: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Nyozeka felt awful about the whole thing, but seeing as she was pretending to be a "real" rabbit she couldn't comfort her. _ Oh Alice... You __**did**__ use courage, but it's important __**how**__ you use it. I've got a lot of work to do if she's to master the Lotis Words._

XxXxXxXxX

Back at the Seno House...

Mayura was giddy and no longer worried about anything, "He said "Yes!" Yahoo!" She plopped down onto Alice's bed, "Oh, Kyō, you had me worried for nothing," she rested her phone-free hand near the pillow and felt something sticking out from beneath it, "But still, I wonder why Alice was with him..." she glanced at the pillow and saw that it was a photo, _I wonder who it's of?_

She carefully pulled it out from under the pillow and turned it over. A prickly sensation suddenly erupted all over her skin. It was a photo of Kyō..._but...why would she have this...and why would she feel she had to keep it hidden?_

"Alice...?!"

* * *

_a/n: Well I hope that was enjoyable..._


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

MASTER OF THE SACRED WORDS part 3

Next day at school...

Kyō and Mayura were the talk of the school. Everywhere they went, whispering gossip followed. They were like the school's very own celebrity couple.

"Look! See?"

"Kyō and Mayura!"

"It was bound to happen..."

Alice walked, in a daze, through the school gate trying her best to ignore the excited banter.

_After all my suffering...I convinced him to date her...what was I thinking?!_

Kyō looked away from Mayura in time to see Alice walk past them in an oblivious daze, punching in a message on her phone.

"Alice!" he called out.

Alice bristled and nearly dropped her phone as she slowly turned toward them.

Concern was etched in Kyō's features, "I haven't seen you around at archery club practice... How have you been?"

Alice suddenly felt ill as she busted her brain to think of how to best answer that, "Er... I, uh... Haven't had much of an appetite lately..."

Kyō blinked at her, "What are you talking about?!"

Alice smiled sheepishly and then ran off toward the school doors, "I'm late for class! Sorry! Gotta go!"

Kyō brought a hand to the back of his head, "I get the feeling that she's avoiding me." He glanced at Mayura, "Has she been acting odd at home, too?"

"Not really..." she replied.

Kyō watched Alice disappear into the school wondering what could have brought about this sudden change in her behavior.

Alice left school immediately after the last bell, not wanting to wait for her sister to inform her that she would be walking home with Kyō. She didn't think she could bear to see the happy looks on both their faces.

_It's so hard sometimes_, she thought, running past all the other students on the way to their lockers, _I still... I still care for Kyō._

Once at home, she fed Nyozeka (still pretending to be a rabbit) a bowl of cut up carrots and a bowl of fresh water.

The Nyozeka rabbit began to happily munch away as she gave her charge yet another pity lecture, "You brought this on yourself! If you like him (yum! Carrots!) You should tell him...(Yummy!)"

Alice narrowed her eyes in annoyance, "Would you please stay focused for at least one sentence!" She hugged the pillow she was holding tightly against her chest, "It's a hopeless cause anyway... Kyō and Sis like each other."

The rabbit, now done with her carrot meal, started to glow a light pink, "If you can live with it, fine." and then poof... she was the rabbit girl. "Regardless, you need plenty of guidance." A snide look spread across her child-like features as she brought her face close to Alice's, "I must teach you to be a Master of the Lotis Words. But it seems you can't even use **everyday **words to good effect."

Alice didn't feel like admitting that this was probably true, "Leave me alone. I'm not Master of anything."

Nyozeka floated away to some shelves at the back of Alice's room. There was a plush dog and suddenly she was sitting on it's leg in the form of a tiny fat round plush rabbit. "Hmmm... This form should work well."

Alice took a sip of her water but sadly looked before she could swallow and sprayed water all over her bedroom table.

The Nyozeka plush floated in the air before her unaffected by her reaction, "Starting tomorrow, I'll use this form to accompany you wherever you go!"

Alice shot out her hand and tightly closed her fist around the tiny rabbit plush, "No Thanks!" which in turn executed a surprisingly strong kick to Alice's head, "Don't be stubborn!"

Thus began a very strange wrestling match.

"Don't be ridiculous! You want to follow me everywhere...even into the bathroom?!"

"Yes! I must teach you to be a Lotis Master as soon as possible!"

Then came the unfortunate knock at the bedroom door.

Alice and the plush both froze in a nervous sweat.

Mayura slowly opened the door and peeked in, "Alice, may I come in?"

Alice quickly grabbed the plush now turned rabbit as Mayura entered without waiting for a reply, "Sis!"

Mayura gave her a curious glance, "Alice! What are you doing to that poor rabbit?!" And then suddenly, "Uh-oh! I'm starting to break out!"

"Sorry! I'll put her in her cage," Alice smiled nervously, still flustered from nearly getting caught fighting with a talking bunny plush. As she locked the cage door she glanced at her sister in what she hoped was cheerfulness, "You're home early. I thought you'd still be out with Kyō."

Mayura sat down on the bed with a quiet sigh, "I can see him anytime. We spend plenty of time together. Sometimes it's nice to be apart."

Alice couldn't explain it herself, but she felt shocked to hear this. She put on her most cheerful face and said, "It sounds like you two are doing great."

Mayura gave her an uneasy stare that instantly changed to inquisitive, "Alice, I need to talk to you. You know Tatsuya from the Archery Club?"

Alice blinked, not sure she liked where this was going, "Tatsuya...?"

"Want to go out with him?"

Alice froze; shocked into silence, _HUH?!_

Mayura continued without waiting for a reply, "He doesn't have a girlfriend... I told him about you and he seemed interested." She smiled.

"WHAT?! What did you say?!" Alice felt sick.

Not allowing the information to sink in, Mayura got off the bed and headed to the door, "I'll introduce you to him tomorrow! It's about time you got yourself a boyfriend. See ya!"

Alice contemplated giving chase, "Wait... But, I don't...!" But Mayura wasn't listening or was possibly ignoring her, which didn't make sense. Alice stared at the closed door, a look of terror of her face, "But I don't want to...!"

The horrifying next day at school...

"Hi! I'm Tatsuya Matsujo," said a fairly handsome blonde teenager, though he wasn't nearly as cute as Kyō, but then again...most guys weren't.

Alice stared at him, totally embarrassed about this unfortunate meeting, "He-Hello..."

Mayura leaned toward her, "Not bad, huh?"

Alice said nothing, though she wanted to scream at her.

Tatsuya slid his left hand into his pants pocket, "I noticed you hanging around the Archery Club... You're very pretty. Would you like to go out with me?"

Alice scrunched her eyes in desperation, _What should I do? What should I do?!_

Nyozeka the plush stuck her head out from Alice's skirt pocket, _Courage, Alice! Use the __**proper**__ words this time!_

"Hey, what're you guys up to?"

Alice opened her eyes and nearly shrieked upon seeing who had spoken.

Tatsuya turned toward them and smiled, "Kyō! Hello..."

Kyō suddenly appeared concerned, "Alice..."

Alice wondered if her cheeks were on fire, _Kyō_!

Mayura grinned, "Kyō! Tell Alice what a good guy Tatsuya is, will you?"

Not wanting to hear her desired person tell her how great she'd be with some other guy, Alice jumped the gun, "O-Okay!" she grabbed Tatsuya's hand, "I'll Go out with you, Tatsuya!"

Kyō looked as though he'd just been slapped.

"Really? COOL!"

"...But, let's take things slow," mumbled Alice.

Mayura glanced at Kyō, not liking the disappointed gaze he was giving her sister.

Nyozeka started kicking at Alice's hip which earned her a swift pocket slap.

Alice looked away from everyone, _Maybe this will help me forget... I want to forget about Kyō Wakamiya._

Later that day at a random Cafe...

Kyō and Mayura sat across from each other at one of the many tables sipping tea.

"What's going on with those two," wondered Kyō aloud. "I didn't know Alice was interested in Tatsuya."

"Not that again!" complained Mayura.

Kyō rested his chin on his hand and looked away, annoyance etched in his features, "I guess I'm pretty dense."

"YES. You sure are," was Mayura's blunt reply.

Kyō snapped his attention back to her, his eyes slightly narrowed, "Thanks for being honest."

Mayura sighed, "Well, it's true... I mean..." she set her tea back down, "Why are you so worried about Alice?"

"I guess you can never tell what someone else is thinking..." Kyō wasn't listening. "Or maybe I'm just dense."

Mayura was becoming frustrated, "Are you even listening to me?!"

Kyō sighed, "I hear you... But Tatsuya seems kind of...wild."

"Forget about them," said Mayura, "Let's talk about us. We're dating each other, remember?"

"Okay," said Kyō, "We see each other at Archery Club. During breaks. We sit around and talk. But it's not any different than from before we officially decided to go out with each other."

Mayura had nothing at all to say to that.

Kyō brought a hand to his chin in thought, "Aren't you concerned about your little sister? Alice cares a lot about you..." He thought back to what Alice had told him that night at his family's Cafe. _"I care about my sister! After all, it took a lot of courage for her to tell you how she feels."_

"**She**'**s** the one who helped me decide to date you," Kyō continued, "I'm an only child... I wish I had a sibling like her."

Mayura's eyes widened, not sure if she should feel pleased about this bit of information.

Later yet that day at the Seno's residence...

Alice was holding up her Kyō-photo giving it a pitiful gaze, _maybe I should get rid of this picture._

Suddenly her cellphone jingled and badly startled she quickly hid the photo back under her pillow. Taking in a calming breath she flipped open the phone and looked at the screen, "It's an e-mail from Tatsuya."

Nyozeka leaned in and read the message out loud, "I had fun today! Come to Archery Club practice tomorrow."

Alice got a quirked look in her eyes, _He had fun?! All we did was walk home together!_

She sighed and fell back onto her bed, "Am I doing the right thing?"

Nyozeka gave her a look that suggested she believed her to be the most moronic person on the planet.

Alice stared back with narrowed eyes, "You're speechless with disgust, aren't you?" She sighed and sat back up, "I'm always like this." _I can't stand hurting anyone. I'm afraid people won't like me. That's why I never show how I really feel._ She limply raised her arm and looked at the Lotis bracelet, "I'm the polar opposite of those hocus pocus words you're always talking about. And the bracelet's jewel has stopped glowing."

"It will glow when the time comes," Nyozeka smiled warmly, "Don't let yourself fall into a depression, Alice."

Alice nodded and then hugged her pillow tightly to her chest, _But, I wonder... Why did Mayura suddenly insist that I get a boyfriend?_

Next day at after school Archery Club...

Alice cautiously entered the archery range. She immediately spotted Tatsuya and suddenly wished she hadn't come.

Tatsuya smiled when he noticed her watching him, "Alice!"

"Everyone's already left," Alice murmured.

"Practice finished up a while ago," Tatsuya replied, "I was just cleaning up."

_I haven't been here in a while. Kyō usually stands right over there..._

Alice felt a pain in her chest as a somewhat transparent image of Kyō appeared before her before quickly vanishing like swirly mist. She shook her head to clear her mind. _Stop it, Alice! This is why you're here. You need to find a way to stop thinking about him!_

Tatsuya, standing behind her, watched her, an unpleasant glint in his eyes. He placed a careful hand on her shoulder and sighed, "We're all alone." He slowly turned her toward him.

Alice's heart began to race in a panic, "Ta-Tatsuya...! Um... Wha-what are you...?"

Nyozeka, still a plush, still in Alice's pocket, was fairly positive this wouldn't end well. _Uh-oh!_

Tatsuya started to lean in for something Alice was fairly sure she didn't want to give.

She put up her hands to push him away, "NO!"

Needless to say, Tatsuya had NOT expected that. He looked at her, appearing at first hurt and then frustrated, "C'mon...just a kiss. You're my girlfriend now, right?" He suddenly grabbed her wrists and tried to pull her toward him, "Just a kiss!"

Sick with fear, Alice struggled to get away, "Stop it!" But his grip only tightened, "You're hurting me!"

"Hello...?" And like a shining ray of hope, Kyō appeared, "Is anybody still here...?" He trailed off when he saw who was making all the noise.

Tears sprang to Alice's eyes as she was finally released. Still trying to process what just happened, concern flooded Kyō's eyes as he watched Alice turn away from Tatsuya and run to _him_, "Kyō!"

Alice dug her fingers into his shirt and buried her face in his chest, "Oh, Kyō..." she sobbed, trembling.

"What's...going on here...?" Kyō gently guided her protectively behind him and glanced at Tatsuya, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

The other boy put up his hands defensively, "Oh...nothing. We were just playing around."

Kyō narrowed his eyes further, "Playing around," he wasn't convinced.

The tears cascading from Alice's eyes were all he needed to confirm the horrible truth and bring an unexpected rage to the surface. Kyō suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Tatsuya by the collar of his shirt and then plowed him into a wall full of wooden tablets, scattering several of them to the floor. "You were **forcing** yourself on her!" he growled. The look in his eyes was so feral that the other boy feared he might be killed. "What kind of pig forces himself on a girl...? Apologize to her. NOW!"

Alice brought her hands to her mouth in utter shock of this brutal turn of events.

Fast approaching footsteps sounded as Mayura burst onto the scene, "Kyō?!" She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his waist as he starting blocking off the other boy's air supply, "Kyō, what're you doing?! Stop!" But he didn't seem to hear her.

Alice looked on in terror, _I don't want this! Please don't do this!_ She breathed in deeply and, "Kyō!"

Kyō slowly regained his composure and released the would be molester. He turned to Alice, his current expression devoid of any of the anger of moments ago, "Alice. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Alice started crying again, but now from relief, "Tha-thank you..."

Back at the Seno's residence in Mayura's room...

Mayura was looking everywhere but at Alice while Alice watched her ashamed of herself.

_Sis hasn't said a word since this afternoon._

"Sis-"

"I've known Kyō for over a year," interrupted Mayura. She sounded fairly annoyed, "And I've never seen him act like that." She narrowed her eyes, still refusing to look at her sister. "If you didn't like him then you shouldn't have gone out with him!"

"Huh?" Alice wasn't sure she wanted to continue this conversation.

"Tatsuya..." said Mayura angrily, "Why'd you agree to go out with him?"

Alice began to tremble again and clenched at her skirt.

This only proved to make Mayura angrier, "This is so typical of you...you never express yourself! You keep everything inside!"

Nyozeka poked her head out from Alice's skirt pocket, _I want to return to my other form._

Alice looked down at the table they were kneeling at, "Sis, I was just trying to-"

"You only make things worse when you hide your feelings!" snapped Mayura in frustration.

Tears sprang back to Alice's eyes, "I was just-"

Mayura narrowed her eyes, "You made trouble for Kyō too. He's such a gentle guy."

Alice's eyes widened.

_What?!_

"He only got into that fight because you're my little sister," said Mayura.

_What does she mean?!_

_My feelings..._

_She doesn't know how I feel!_

_She doesn't even care!_

Alice looked up at her sister, angry tears falling from her eyes, "Sis...I hate you!"

Mayura's attention snapped to Alice in utter shock.

Alice narrowed her eyes, "I wish you would just **disappear**!"

Nyozeka flew out of the pocket she had been hiding in, "Alice, NO!"

There was a sudden flash of light as a burst of wind blew past her through the doorway into the hall...

Alice hadn't a clue what just happened but one thing was clear, "S-Sis?" the house creaked, "Mayura...?"

Her sister was gone.


End file.
